>Today the American Christian Fiction Writers (ACFW) announced the 2009 Genesis Finalists. This annual contest for unpublished authors is gaining more recognition each year and is a contest that’s very close to my heart. The past two years I’ve been fortunate enough (thrilled and humbled) to final and then win my category. It’s a nerve-wracking, exhilarating learning experience, but when I looked back over the past couple of years’ finalists, I saw many names who’ve now been published or are contracted. Nice, huh?? The category winners will be announced at the ACFW conference in Denver this coming September.
So here they are: The 2009 Genesis Finalists:
CONTEMPORARY FICTION:
Sharon Ball
David W. Fry
Jennifer Griffith
Ane Mulligan
Patty Slack
CONTEMPORARY ROMANCE:
Cathy Bryant
Kathleen Haynes
Lisa Jordan
Christy LaShea Smith
Eileen Astels Watson
HISTORICAL FICTION:
Nancy Herriman
D’Ann Mateer
Christina Miller
Sandi Rog
Christine Schmidtke
HISTORICAL ROMANCE (six finalist entries due to a tie, but one is a
double finalist):
Jody Hedlund (double finalist with two entries)
Lisa Richardson
Connie Stevens
Gina Welborn
Lacy Williams
MYSTERY/SUSPENSE/THRILLER:
David Fry
Anne Greene
Dineen Miller
Lynda Schab
Alan Schleimer
ROMANTIC SUSPENSE:
Mary F. Allen
Wenda Dottridge
Danica Favorite-McDonald
Kelly Ann Riley
Janet Warren
SCIENCE FICTION/FANTASY/SPECULATIVE FICTION:
Valerie Comer
Megan Ebba
David Fry
Suzanne Krein
Lisa Tuttle
WOMEN’S FICTION:
Cathleen Armstrong
Marie Wells Coutu
Candee Fick
Julie Garmon
Ashely Weis
YOUNG ADULT:
Kasey L. Heinly
Gretchen Hoffman
Susan Miura
Diana Sharples (double finalist with two entries)
Congrats one and all!
Here are some numbers for you to ponder:
- This year, the Genesis had a whopping 454 entries.
- That’s a 43% increase from last year.
- Each of the 454 entries was given to three judges
- That translates to 1,362 entries to send back to entrants.
Camy Tang (the Genesis Coordinator) and her crew have done a phenomenol job. Next time you see her, you might tell her thanks. Also, if you recognize any names on this list, sent them a sweet note, okay?